Drone enthusiasts and practitioners will have to ground their devices for the time being.
After the recent events in Abu Dhabi, all air activities, including drones and light sports aircrafts, will be suspended for a month, starting Saturday, January 22, 2022.
This also includes air and sail spots, with the rules put into place by the General Authority for Civil Aviation and in line with relative guidelines.
According to the UAE’s state news agency WAM, the decision came after the misuse spotted recently, not limiting the practice of these sports to the areas identified in the user permits and trespassing into areas where these types of activities are prohibited.
“The MoI asked individuals and the community to respect the authorities directives namely issued by the MoI, and the General Authority for Civil Aviation, in order to ensure the safety of lives and property, preserving them from unsafe bad practices,” said the statement on WAM.
If you use your drone for work, either for commercial or advertising projects that rely on filming using drones, don’t fear—communicate with the permit authorities, as necessary exceptions are being made for people who need to get their jobs done.
Those who don’t perform these activities during this period will be subject to legal liabilities.
For everyone else, don’t fear, drones will be back to normal use at the end of February, so while you may miss Valentine’s, there will be plenty of droning to do a week later.